Apple and Cinnamon Cake

It would appear that your beloved FrugalFeeding has entered yet another period of furious cake baking. This is a good thing not only because the vast majority of food bloggers find cake irresistible, but also because dealing with my entire Mexican series at once may have hospitalised any number of my faithful readers. However, the act of obscene fabrication aside, it must be said that apple and cinnamon make a truly exquisite combination. When experienced in tandem, they succeed in transporting me directly back to my mother’s apple crumble and my grandmother’s apple pie. So, to be able to take a jolly sizeable bite out of a cake that tastes exactly of those formerly mentioned is, to say the least, most novel. Though, I’m sure that my grandmother would have much preferred the good ol’ fashioned way of experiencing such delicious flavours.

Of course, as is the effect of any fruit on the constitution of cake, the apples found within succeed in altering far more than simply the flavour. You see, the relatively vast quantity of water found in apples is released during the cooking process. This has the joint effect of producing a moister, denser cake and allows the flavour to permeate its entirety. As such, if you find yourself, for whatever reason, a little prone to the experience of a dry sponge, look no further. Unless you are either and abysmal human being or a downright appalling cook, there is absolutely and categorically no way of making a desert out of this delight.

One of the most enjoyable things about making this cake was that I came up with the recipe entirely by myself. Usually, I would garner tips and a rough idea of quantity from elsewhere when attempting such a thing, but I do feel myself becoming far more confident in such things. I’m not saying this in order to blow my own trumpet, or to have my own trumpet blown by others; such words come by way of encouragement. If a feckless, young upstart like myself can bake such cakes without a recipe, then so can you – I expect to see all manner of interesting cakes spring up all over the internet. If only my influence was that great.

Apple and Cinnamon Cake

Makes one 9” cake

Ingredients:

• 200g self-raising flour

• 100g dark brown muscovado sugar

• 50g granulated or caster sugar

• 200g butter

• 3 eggs

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 3 apples

• A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Cream together the butter and sugars, add 1 ½ tsp of cinnamon half way through this process. Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined. Grate two of the apples, do not remove skin, pips or core. Tip the grated apple into the batter, mix and then fold in the flour and a pinch of salt.

2. Pour this batter into a greased 9” springform pan. Level it off and use the remaining apple to decorate it as depicted. Mix together the remaining cinnamon with roughly 1 tbsp of sugar and sprinkle generously over the top of the cake. Bake for an hour and a half, or until golden brown and set. A knife, when inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.

3. Leave the cake to cool a little before turning it out. It is more easily sliced when cooled completely, though waiting that long may not prove possible.

Cost: The basic ingredients of mot cake tend to be relatively cheap and it is only really the apples that increase its price a little. Still, the entire cake should cost you roughly £2.70, which ain’t half bad.

Wow! Great job on coming up with your own recipe!! Definitely feels like a grand accomplishment, especially when it turns out so delicious right?? 🙂 I bet this was so good it would be left with no crumbs!

Beautiful cake! I agree completely – apple and cinnamon is one of those magical combinations. Clever you to come up with it all on your own, although do you really think your baking frenzy is going have less impact on your readers than the Mexican one did? 😉

Well, they, like potatoes, aren’t poisonous when cooked and they are so small and tiny that it’s impossible to notice them at all – this all means that to leave them out would just be a waste and take longer than necessary… I didn’t want them in it, I just didn’t really care that they were.

I’m so impressed you’ve created this one on your own.. I haven’t the courage or experience yet. I hope some day I can bake with just “a little of this and a handful or scoop of that”! This is one of my favs.. yes.. warm out of the oven, that is!

Oh how I love apple cake and yours is just beautiful! I love the self rise flour in the recipe. I keep self rise flour in the pantry for cobblers and such but never thought of using it in a cake. Brilliant!

This recipe makes a simply fabulous cake, which tastes even better than it looks, and that’s saying something because it looks divine! It’s packed full of flavour and the grated apple lends it a delightful moistness. This is a proper cake, a slice of which one might be served in a traditional British teashop where the waitresses wear white pinnies and there are doilies on the tables 🙂

It looks truly lovely Mr frugal. I am loving the 200 grams of butter the recipe calls for. I approve, I think you have nailed this recipe. I have been going through an exuberant cake baking stage also. It is so satisfying making something that is not a food neccesity – breakfast/lunch/dinner!.